24" Widescreen CRT (FW900) From Ebay arrived,Comments.

[quantum112]

We have done extensive WinDAS/WinCAT white point balance adjustments and color calibrations test runs on several GDM-FW900 monitors with the AG film and without the AG film, and from the results we've have concluded that the monitors that had the AG film OFF produced far better black/gray/color calibration results and superior picture quality than the ones with the AG film ON. These results were so conclusive that we no longer sell GDM-FW900 with the AG film on and we began advising our customers to consider removing the AG film in order to achieve better color calibration, black levels, color purity and picture quality. I understand than without the AG film there will be some static buildup on the screen which indeed will attract dust, but there are antistatic screen cleaners that could be used in order to reduce static build up.

Here I was debating over getting this monitor because the only one being sold in my country has some scratches on the AG, but now I know if they bother me I can just take the thing off and get an even better image? I have no doubts anymore.

My T966 has the AG off, what I noticed or better said what I remember, as I've had it off for months, is that it has gotten brighter, sharper, and more colorful. The glass is somewhat gray without the AG and during the day the glare gets bad and there are no blacks, I had to cover my windows with blankets and now my black levels are I'd say...about 90% as good as in the night. Needless to say, my room is pretty dark, but I don't mind

On a side-note though, from the shots of the FW900 I've seen around the net, it seems that whoever has any sort of ambient lighting in the room (natural or otherwise) gets pretty poor black levels. I guess this is the reason most design studios and people who's job is color-critical work in very dark environments. I assume since the CRT doesn't -produce- blacks the deepest black will only be as dark as the screen (which is always dependent upon ambient lighting - AG or no AG).

As for static, it does get quite a bit worse, I should dust mine off every day to keep the screen perfectly clear, although in reality I do it every 2-3 days. I take most of the stuff off with a paintbrush and then use a microfibre cloth and some window cleaner (as it is glass now, anyway) to get it fully clean. Works well.

I downloaded this picture of a leopard and set it to my desktop http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/details/2219/where_is_my_prey?.html

I selected the option of 16:9 at a rez of 2560 X1440 and I have never seen a more stunning image on a PC monitor! This could be the poster boy for the image quality of the FW900

Like I say, I set it as my desktop and it looks like I could reach out and pet him. I can see the individual red veins in his eyeballs! Sry for freaking out over this, but I really have never seen a better image on any PC monitor than this cat on my desktop, ever. If you have a FW900 check it out.

Haha PD, I know exactly what you mean. Glad you like that picture so much. I'm using it at 1600x1200 now, but am slowly collecting wallpapers for the FW900.

Really hyped about picking up this monitor this week. It functions flawlessly, and the only "issues" it has is a slightly bruised and scratched casing, and the few scratches in the AG coat. Plastic can be replaced, AG can be taken off and there you go - brand new, and since the monitor displayed no electrical or picture issues of any sort (I've been staring at it for 40 minutes - perfect geometry, colors and uniformity, focus pots could do with a slight adjustment though) I think this is a sure buy.

 

[LAGRUNAUER]

The GDM-F520 (and I assume the FW900 is same or similar) has spectacular dynamic range versus other technologies (and also superior static contrast for a CRT). Along with fantastic color and blacks. All with the AG film, which I assume was carefully engineered.

You are recommending removal of AG film that is perfectly intact?

Do you have any dynamic range measurements or static contrast measurements before and after?

Is your goal to make them brighter and more competitive with LCD in non-light controlled environments?

We do not measure dynamic ranges and/or static contrasts of the units, so we have no data on it.

The majority of the 21" picture tubes from the GDM-F520s as well as the GDM-C520, G520P, CPD-G520 and the E540 monitors had black coated tempered glass pictures tubes, which were marked on the back of the tubes by the letter "B". The were a small batch of tubes that came with pressure applied anti-glare film (similar to the GDM-FW900) and marked with the letter "F", and were produced in 2000-2002, but they were very rare...

The ultimate goal is to be able to white point balance and color calibrate the units to produce accurate colors and black levels, which the monitor can achieve provided there are no functional issues with the units such as bad gun(s), corrupted EEPROMs, bad transistors, faulty FBTs, faulty HOTs, faulty PSUs and others...

In my practical opinion and experience, with the AG film on or off, a properly WinDAS/WinCAT color calibrated and white point balanced GDM-FW900 and any of the monitors mentioned above will blow any LCD to pieces in terms of color accuracy, even the Eizo ColorEdge... Now in terms of over-brighteness, over-contrast, and color over-saturation... That is a difference story...

But remember that ultimately... beauty is in the eye of the beholder and many of you may disagree with my opinion...

Hope this helps...

Unkle Vito!

 

[LAGRUNAUER]

Here I was debating over getting this monitor because the only one being sold in my country has some scratches on the AG, but now I know if they bother me I can just take the thing off and get an even better image? I have no doubts anymore.

My T966 has the AG off, what I noticed or better said what I remember, as I've had it off for months, is that it has gotten brighter, sharper, and more colorful. The glass is somewhat gray without the AG and during the day the glare gets bad and there are no blacks, I had to cover my windows with blankets and now my black levels are I'd say...about 90% as good as in the night. Needless to say, my room is pretty dark, but I don't mind

On a side-note though, from the shots of the FW900 I've seen around the net, it seems that whoever has any sort of ambient lighting in the room (natural or otherwise) gets pretty poor black levels. I guess this is the reason most design studios and people who's job is color-critical work in very dark environments. I assume since the CRT doesn't -produce- blacks the deepest black will only be as dark as the screen (which is always dependent upon ambient lighting - AG or no AG).

As for static, it does get quite a bit worse, I should dust mine off every day to keep the screen perfectly clear, although in reality I do it every 2-3 days. I take most of the stuff off with a paintbrush and then use a microfibre cloth and some window cleaner (as it is glass now, anyway) to get it fully clean. Works well.



Haha PD, I know exactly what you mean. Glad you like that picture so much. I'm using it at 1600x1200 now, but am slowly collecting wallpapers for the FW900.

Really hyped about picking up this monitor this week. It functions flawlessly, and the only "issues" it has is a slightly bruised and scratched casing, and the few scratches in the AG coat. Plastic can be replaced, AG can be taken off and there you go - brand new, and since the monitor displayed no electrical or picture issues of any sort (I've been staring at it for 40 minutes - perfect geometry, colors and uniformity, focus pots could do with a slight adjustment though) I think this is a sure buy.

Most of my clients who have purchased GDM-FW900s and other Sony monitors are professional photographers, graphic artist designers, CAD/CAM/CAE engineers, animators, videographers, and high end gaming enthusiasts who work in reduced light environments. In addition to this, most of them use a monitor hood. As to the blacks levels and glare.. We have never experienced the problems you are having with your monitor with our Sony factory calibrated units. Like I said, a properly white point balanced and adjusted Sony GDM-FW900 will reproduce accurate colors and levels of black.

Hope this helps...

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!

 

[Poordevil]

Well, I ain't taking my AG film off, it's in perfect condition

The colors and black level look pretty good to me, if I want the picture to look brighter I will increase the color saturation in the CCC. Besides, I don't like to hang out in a dark room. Unless the sun is shinning right into one of my windows I keep the blinds up. I like being able to see outside, I have a great view from my apartment. If I removed the AG it sounds like I would need to keep the blinds closed for the most part.

 

[quantum112]

Most of my clients who have purchased GDM-FW900s and other Sony monitors are professional photographers, graphic artist designers, CAD/CAM/CAE engineers, animators, videographers, and high end gaming enthusiasts who work in reduced light environments. In addition to this, most of them use a monitor hood. As to the blacks levels and glare.. We have never experienced the problems you are having with your monitor with our Sony factory calibrated units. Like I said, a properly white point balanced and adjusted Sony GDM-FW900 will reproduce accurate colors and levels of black.

Hi, from my experience, any light source other than the monitor's own, will affect black levels. I wouldn't really call it a -problem- as you did. Here I have taken two photographs of my display running with the room lighting on, and the room lighting completely off. Even though my camera is really poor, hopefully the photographs will give you an idea of what I am talking about.
Light on (you can see the washed out blacks and reflections in the screen)

Lights off (true, deep blacks, the image may look too dark here but I assure you no detail is lost in the actual image, this is a side effect of the camera)


The effect is however much more obvious in real life and this camera is unfortunately too bad to capture both the colors and reflection of the screen, but it is the best I can give you. Therefore it is my opinion that to achieve deep black levels, one should always aim to have the lowest level of ambient lighting possible.

However, as you say, the FW900 may be less affected by this if the tint of the tube glass is dark. The EIZO I am using has a light-gray tint to the tube and glares quite a bit in daylight conditions, this was somewhat less noticeable when the AG film was on (as it made the front of the display somewhat darker). However, in zero-ambient lighting right now, comparing the image with the AG pressed upon the screen (I still have it), I would have to say that the blacks do not get much darker, but the whites are a lot dimmer. It is a very noticeable difference, so I would say that the static contrast ratio is quite a bit reduced with the AG coating, provided the ambient lighting is as low as possible.

This is the best I could do to capture the effect of the AG coating:



Cheers

 

[SH1]

We do not measure dynamic ranges and/or static contrasts of the units, so we have no data on it.

The majority of the 21" picture tubes from the GDM-F520s as well as the GDM-C520, G520P, CPD-G520 and the E540 monitors had black coated tempered glass pictures tubes, which were marked on the back of the tubes by the letter "B". The were a small batch of tubes that came with pressure applied anti-glare film (similar to the GDM-FW900) and marked with the letter "F", and were produced in 2000-2002, but they were very rare...

The ultimate goal is to be able to white point balance and color calibrate the units to produce accurate colors and black levels, which the monitor can achieve provided there are no functional issues with the units such as bad gun(s), corrupted EEPROMs, bad transistors, faulty FBTs, faulty HOTs, faulty PSUs and others...

In my practical opinion and experience, with the AG film on or off, a properly WinDAS/WinCAT color calibrated and white point balanced GDM-FW900 and any of the monitors mentioned above will blow any LCD to pieces in terms of color accuracy, even the Eizo ColorEdge... Now in terms of over-brighteness, over-contrast, and color over-saturation... That is a difference story...

But remember that ultimately... beauty is in the eye of the beholder and many of you may disagree with my opinion...

Hope this helps...

Unkle Vito!

Thank you, Unkle Vito.

Interesting stuff.

I didn't realize the F520 generally doesn't have the film. Though I didn't know that the FW900 had the film until I read about it here. (Had only heard about such a film with regard to different versions of their excellent 34" TV in this regard.)

Beautiful monitors, these final, ultimate CRTs, and I keep coming back to them...

 

[LAGRUNAUER]

Hi, from my experience, any light source other than the monitor's own, will affect black levels. I wouldn't really call it a -problem- as you did. Here I have taken two photographs of my display running with the room lighting on, and the room lighting completely off. Even though my camera is really poor, hopefully the photographs will give you an idea of what I am talking about.
Light on (you can see the washed out blacks and reflections in the screen)

Lights off (true, deep blacks, the image may look too dark here but I assure you no detail is lost in the actual image, this is a side effect of the camera)


The effect is however much more obvious in real life and this camera is unfortunately too bad to capture both the colors and reflection of the screen, but it is the best I can give you. Therefore it is my opinion that to achieve deep black levels, one should always aim to have the lowest level of ambient lighting possible.

However, as you say, the FW900 may be less affected by this if the tint of the tube glass is dark. The EIZO I am using has a light-gray tint to the tube and glares quite a bit in daylight conditions, this was somewhat less noticeable when the AG film was on (as it made the front of the display somewhat darker). However, in zero-ambient lighting right now, comparing the image with the AG pressed upon the screen (I still have it), I would have to say that the blacks do not get much darker, but the whites are a lot dimmer. It is a very noticeable difference, so I would say that the static contrast ratio is quite a bit reduced with the AG coating, provided the ambient lighting is as low as possible.

This is the best I could do to capture the effect of the AG coating:



Cheers

It is not recommended to expose the picture tube directly to sun light and/or any direct light source. To achieve better image quality, color depth and proper balanced brightness/contrast, it is highly recommended to use a monitor hood. This does not necessary translates into "zero ambient light"... During the color calibration process, the amount of ambient light present will affect the calibration readings and results, and that is why I recommend that normal lighting conditions of your studio (you own personal choice) to be used while color calibrating the units. Any obstruction of any kind (antiglare coatings, antiglare hoods, tints, smudges, finger marks, dust/mist and others) between the tube and the calibrator will affect the calibration results of the monitor (I have data to prove it).

Like I said... In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... while some of you prefer the look and appearance of the glossy glass surface as it displays the colors and blacks, some of you prefer the look and appearance of the AG coated tubes...

My preference will always be the unobstructed glass... But that's just me...

Hope this helps...

Unkle Vito!

 

[quantum112]

It is not recommended to expose the picture tube directly to sun light and/or any direct light source. To achieve better image quality, color depth and proper balanced brightness/contrast, it is highly recommended to use a monitor hood. This does not necessary translates into "zero ambient light"... During the color calibration process, the amount of ambient light present will affect the calibration readings and results, and that is why I recommend that normal lighting conditions of your studio (you own personal choice) to be used while color calibrating the units. Any obstruction of any kind (antiglare coatings, antiglare hoods, tints, smudges, finger marks, dust/mist and others) between the tube and the calibrator will affect the calibration results of the monitor (I have data to prove it).

I see. I would use a hood, the issue is I often have friends coming over so the display has to be visible to multiple people. I don't own a studio, this monitor is just in a standard room environment for home use - therefore, it is easier for me to keep my room dim.

Like I said... In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... while some of you prefer the look and appearance of the glossy glass surface as it displays the colors and blacks, some of you prefer the look and appearance of the AG coated tubes...

My preference will always be the unobstructed glass... But that's just me...

I agree and I share the same opinion. The AG coating holds the monitor back, especially the white color. After G2 adjustment, my ideal brightness is at 40% and I have optimal black level, but the white has become very pure and bright as well. It is not professionally calibrated (only according to brightness/contrast scales I found), but looks amazing enough for my needs. I can only hope the FW900 will be even better.

On a side note; do all of the calibrated FW900's you sell on eBay have the anti-glare film removed?

 

[SH1]

Was standing in line for a part yesterday at Fry's in front of an aisle of TVs, all very much off-angle. Was quite impressed by how far LCDs had come with regard to off angle performance, when I realized the whole aisle was plasma...

Farther down, I saw a Mitsubishi rear projector big screen (80+ inches) that was not looking good, because of the level of ambient light and what appeared to be a missing anti-glare screen or severe internal reflections or something going on....

Then, in the computer section, I saw the same aisle, where I bought my GDM-FW900 in 2001. You could just go in and buy 'em off the shelf back then...Now, I am not sure if they carry any high end computer displays...(except Apple's anyway....)

 

[niqht]

ok, I got one for you guys. I've not been on here in a while and read much of this thread back then, but I recently was tweaking on my screen again and some insane reason decided to see what the image restore would do.
Well it apparently rose my G2 back up, so I gotta dig my stuff back out and reteach myself that mess, but more importantly, and oddly, my brightness control is wierd. bright at 50 is 'neutral'. if I raise it I get a blue tinted screen, if I lower it I get red. It's like it is doing the Kelvin setting. So I've been having to use software to adjust brightness.

 

[ellover009]

Do you guys play at the same resolution as your desktop? and what resolution is your desktop at? I just upgraded to a 580gtx and windows 7, I been playing with aero on and off, looks like aero will force the game to scale to the desktop resolution even if the game is in a lower res, aka 2304x1440. will show if I push the menu button on the monitor even if the game is set lower, then when I set it to match in game everything looks perfect. Steam scales randomly, sometimes the menu is bigger and more readable, randomly it shrinks the letter size, some games the mouse would not match out to menus because of the auto scaling, so I had to go to compatability and disable scaling on certain games.
I decided to aero to make things easier, I love 2304x1440 but I feel it makes things hard to read, so what res do you recommend thats readable? I just went gtx 580 and windows 7 64bit.

 

[SH1]

Do you guys play at the same resolution as your desktop? and what resolution is your desktop at? I just upgraded to a 580gtx and windows 7, I been playing with aero on and off, looks like aero will force the game to scale to the desktop resolution even if the game is in a lower res, aka 2304x1440. will show if I push the menu button on the monitor even if the game is set lower, then when I set it to match in game everything looks perfect. Steam scales randomly, sometimes the menu is bigger and more readable, randomly it shrinks the letter size, some games the mouse would not match out to menus because of the auto scaling, so I had to go to compatability and disable scaling on certain games.
I decided to aero to make things easier, I love 2304x1440 but I feel it makes things hard to read, so what res do you recommend thats readable? I just went gtx 580 and windows 7 64bit.

I always set the FW920 to 1600 by 1024. (It's not quite a 16:10 display, so 1024 rather than 1000 is actually correct to have round circles and such...)

And I found 100Hz to look better than 85Hz on that display at that resolution.

(That resolution is less than you might suppose, but it allows room for error as the display draws the image...)

At 2304x1440, you are asking it to draw more pixels than it horizontally actually has (number of physically stripes in the grill is around 1920 if I recall). That will give you some blur and a kind of anti-aliasing, of sorts, potentially helpful for games. But for the best text you'd want to be on the opposite side of that 1920 figure...

 

[Rock&Roll]

Do you guys play at the same resolution as your desktop? and what resolution is your desktop at? I just upgraded to a 580gtx and windows 7, I been playing with aero on and off, looks like aero will force the game to scale to the desktop resolution even if the game is in a lower res, aka 2304x1440. will show if I push the menu button on the monitor even if the game is set lower, then when I set it to match in game everything looks perfect. Steam scales randomly, sometimes the menu is bigger and more readable, randomly it shrinks the letter size, some games the mouse would not match out to menus because of the auto scaling, so I had to go to compatability and disable scaling on certain games.
I decided to aero to make things easier, I love 2304x1440 but I feel it makes things hard to read, so what res do you recommend thats readable? I just went gtx 580 and windows 7 64bit.

Win 7 has some BS scaling issues, assuming every monitor is an LCD and everything needs to be scaled up to native....I've not had this problem since going to BNC, with EDID disabled (pin removed from cable) and with a tweaked monitor INF.

Generally, I game at 1920x1200 @ 85Hz. For TF2, I run 1280x800 @ 140Hz.

 

[quantum112]

You should use it at the recommended resolution, 1920x1200 at which it will be the most clear and readable without forcing the monitor over it's capacity. It is the best for this monitor - both desktop and ingame (and if you want to correct for the aspect ratio then that would be 1920x1229).

I finally brought mine home yesterday. After a good clean, it looks like new. Who would tell it is 9 years old. Screen is unfortunately scratched in a few more places than I'd like. But it is what it is, I am probably going to remove the anti-glare coat anyway as per UnkleVito's recommendation, it looks somewhat less vibrant and the whites are not as good compared to my EIZO which has the AG film off. Although, I dig the dark look of the tube, the standard green-gray makes monitors look really old. I'll probably look at ordering a clear adhesive sheet such as the one here custom-cut for the FW900 to protect the glass from any accidental mishaps. The alternative would be replacement of the anti-glare sheet with some product like this but from my understanding any products designed to reduce glare either make the entire screen a lot dimmer (as is the case with the stock FW900 one) or introduce noticeable speckling like the ones used on LCD's, so it seems the only effective way to reduce glare without any side-effects on the image quality is to reduce ambient-light as much as possible, i.e. make your room like a cave.

Now then. I am extremely happy with this monitor. It is huge, honestly, I have looked at pictures of it for months but I could never have imagined that, sitting in front of me, it would be this big. I have so much desktop space, it isn't even funny. And games look absolutely amazing in 1920x1200. It fit really snugly on my corner table, because of its design even better than my other CRT, so the screen is no longer in my face. And I have to tell you, it looks absolutely amazing. This monitor looks a lot different than any other CRT, whether it is because of color, or the sleek design, I don't know, but somehow it feels that, even though it is a 10 year old CRT, it does not feel out of place or old to have something like this on the desk. It looks that good. And this is quite a screen. Not some LCD that you can tip over and break a couple of hundred thousand pixels if you just look at it wrong. Every time I come into the room, it is amazing to see this monster on the desk. I am really happy to have the opportunity to own one. So there.

Function-wise; it works flawlessly. The picture takes about 20-25 minutes to achieve good black levels, and when the monitor is just turned on the raster is larger for some reason (like overscan), but slowly gets right within 20 minutes. I assume this is another side-effect of the warm-up period. Geometry is a lot better than the EIZO, I haven't had to mess with it much, and seems quite uniform across resolutions. Landing took a bit of correction, and overall focus is quite good. I can see some work for the dynamic convergence application (red creeping out behind text in extreme corners, such as clock on Windows taskbar), but that will have to wait until I can get a WinDAS cable.

What seems to be the flyback is kinda loud, I can hear its faint buzz even sitting 2 feet in front of the screen. I am not sure if this is necessarily a bad thing, as there are no noteable side-effects on the picture (no dreaded flyback popping) and no noticeable zooming during high-voltage tests either. So I guess even though it likes to make itself heard, it won't cause any trouble for a long time, hopefully. The EIZO does the same thing, and it's been working fine for months ever since I got it.

I couldn't get 1920x1200@85 at first, I had to connect the monitor via VGA, read off the EDID using PowerStrip and write a custom monitor driver and install it in the device manager. I am now able to get 1920x1200@85 using BNC, but no resolution above that, for some reason. I don't intend to run it above recommended resolution anyway, but it's odd as those timings should be in the EDID.

And of course, the obligatory pictures!

<<< I actually have more desk space now
<<< Check it out, even the sticker is still on
<<< Nice and clean

My camera batteries are out (old and bad one) so some more when they are done charging. Cheers

 

[sadbuttrue]

Is anyone using a hood with this monitor? The only one I can find is this:
http://www.pchood.com/english/products/1-display/DEA-01.htm
It looks like it will fit, with acceptable dimensions. It's pricey tho for a bit of plastic.

 

[eclypse]

Is anyone using a hood with this monitor? The only one I can find is this:
http://www.pchood.com/english/products/1-display/DEA-01.htm
It looks like it will fit, with acceptable dimensions. It's pricey tho for a bit of plastic.

Looks like you could just make one just like that out of cardboard and just spray paint it flat black.

 

[sadbuttrue]

I've been considering that option actually It's just that everything I try to make ends up looking like crap =]

 

[eclypse]

hehe yeah.. but it would be easy and clean looking if you used a yard stick/ long level or even a straight edge on a counter top to bend the cardboard. Just use some good sturdy thin cardboard or even better picture board would be perfect if you could buy the right size from a craft store.. You could even buy that in black!

Dont bend the picture board. Just draw a straight line on the inside where you want to bend it and lightly score the line with a razer blade. You want to just go through the first layer of the board and not all the way threw it. Then you'll have a nice clean edge at the bends.

I've used a large sheet of black picture board to make my large 24" monitor bezel on my custom arcade cab and it came out perfect!

 

[Sinizar]

Win 7 has some BS scaling issues, assuming every monitor is an LCD and everything needs to be scaled up to native....I've not had this problem since going to BNC, with EDID disabled (pin removed from cable) and with a tweaked monitor INF.

Generally, I game at 1920x1200 @ 85Hz. For TF2, I run 1280x800 @ 140Hz.

Would you be willing to email or upload your .inf for others to use? I would like to have a custom .inf to use for my monitor. The one I use now maxes the monitor at 85Hz for all resolutions. I would like to run 120Hz or higher on some resolutions so I can eventually use nVidia's Vision glasses. I have the pins pulled on my BNC to DVI cable and have EDID disabled.

Thanks!

 

[sadbuttrue]

Cheers for the tips. I'll give it a go on the weekend. I guess this way I at least get something to fit properly.

 

[Sinizar]

I've been considering that option actually It's just that everything I try to make ends up looking like crap =]

Try using a thin plastic like Cintra. You can purchase it in solid black and other colors. Just cut it out and you are done. You can also heat and bend it.

 

[DDuckMan]

Would you be willing to email or upload your .inf for others to use? I would like to have a custom .inf to use for my monitor. The one I use now maxes the monitor at 85Hz for all resolutions. I would like to run 120Hz or higher on some resolutions so I can eventually use nVidia's Vision glasses. I have the pins pulled on my BNC to DVI cable and have EDID disabled.

Thanks!

Are you sure it is a problem with the .inf? I have had no problems running higher refreshrates in XP, Vista, and Win 7 using the Sony .inf. I think the windows .inf works too, can't remember for sure.

If you have a nVidia card, the resolution system is broken with the latest drivers, particularly the 260.99s. Everything over 85 Hz is locked out. 258.xx drivers and older work fine, but you have to make custom resolutions. I don't have that choice now that I have 580GTX cards, but I can make a custom resolution with 263.09 if I disable SLI.

For desktop I use 1900x1200x85 with Aero on. For gaming I use 1600x1000x110. Fortunately games seem to select the 110Hz custom resolution I set automatically when I go into game. I wasn't aware of any scaling. It looks great and works well with 3D Vision. If I choose 1600x1024, I either have to settle for 105Hz or 110Hz. I don't like to use 1600x1024 @ 110Hz because it pushes the limits of the monitor's Hscan rate at 120.1 Hz (max is 120Hz), and it takes some fiddling with timings to get it to work.

I haven't tried 3D with the 580 GTX yet and haven't even installed the 3D drivers as the 260.xx drivers are so crappy. It did work very well on the FW900 with my old card but it struggled in some games at 1600x1000x110. 3D will give you a roughly 40% framerate hit. When the new drivers come out in a week or two, I expect the 580GTX + FW900 to be great for 3D gaming, especially if I can get the TF2 lasersight to work properly. By the way, with source games, if you change resolution in game the text fonts will be all screwed up until you restart the game. Maybe that was the problem the earlier poster had with Source.

 

[ellover009]

I just set it to 1920x1200 @ 85 hz, first time it was at 80hz but the screen rez changed but the monitor was still pumping 2304x1440 when I hit menu button, setting it to 85hz forced it to change resolution but when I hit menu it tells me 107.2kHz/ 85Hz but does not mention resolution.

 

[DDuckMan]

I'm not sure I follow, and what driver are you using?

 

[ellover009]

nvidia 64bit 263.09

 

[DDuckMan]

That is your control panel version.

Open the nVidia control panel and hit "system information" in the bottom left. The driver version will be at the top.

Also, I think your resolution question is drifting OT a bit and probably belongs in the video card section. It does not appear to be a matter of getting a custom .inf.

 

[ellover009]

I don't think I would benefit from bringing this into the video card forum, mostly due to half of the people there don't have crt's anymore, and the people here might be dealing with whats happened to me and there is multiple factors, new OS, video card, and trying to use old technology on a modern machine.

 

[Rock&Roll]

Would you be willing to email or upload your .inf for others to use? I would like to have a custom .inf to use for my monitor. The one I use now maxes the monitor at 85Hz for all resolutions. I would like to run 120Hz or higher on some resolutions so I can eventually use nVidia's Vision glasses. I have the pins pulled on my BNC to DVI cable and have EDID disabled.

Thanks!

Since you intend to run with 3d vision, I'd suggest you make your own INF, as mine won't be tailored to your needs.

Making your own INF is not hard.There's a guide somewhere in this thread. You'll need to download and install a couple of apps. Takes only a few minutes to do. More if you do more customizing to the inf. My tweaks were pretty basic.

 

[Poordevil]

I DL the latest ATI drivers for XP (10.12) for my HD 4850 and they wonked out my display. Couldn't even get the monitor to display in 16:10, just 4:3. System properties listed the rez @ 1920 X1200 but the image didn't fill my screen. Tried using CCC to get things right, finally ended up using system restore to get back to normal.

 

[DDuckMan]

nvidia 64bit 263.09

Ok, same driver I am using now. The resolution system is still bugged in that version, but better than the 260.99. You may have better luck with 263.14 that came out a couple days ago, or wait until next week when the new drivers come out (supposedly).

With 263.09, sometimes it won't let you select available resolutions and frequencies in the control panel. I was able to make a custom resolution but I couldn't select it or my standard 1900x1200x85. It kept reverting to 80Hz like you. However, I was able to select resolutions at will in the Win7 "change resolution"/advanced section that I couldn't with the nVidia control panel, including my custom 1600x1000x110.

I haven't tried modifying my .inf as I haven't found it necessary, but perhaps that would save some work in the long run. I have to create my custom gaming resolutions every time I update my drivers. 1900x1200x85 has always been there by default though.

edit: also, 102.7Hz @ 85Hz on your OSD is 1900x1200x85, so it sounds like you are good.

I don't think there is any scaling going on when I game at 1600x1000x110, as the monitor does not support 1900x1200x110.

 

[Sinizar]

Ok, same driver I am using now. The resolution system is still bugged in that version, but better than the 260.99. You may have better luck with 263.14 that came out a couple days ago, or wait until next week when the new drivers come out (supposedly).

With 263.09, sometimes it won't let you select available resolutions and frequencies in the control panel. I was able to make a custom resolution but I couldn't select it or my standard 1900x1200x85. It kept reverting to 80Hz like you. However, I was able to select resolutions at will in the Win7 "change resolution"/advanced section that I couldn't with the nVidia control panel, including my custom 1600x1000x110.

I haven't tried modifying my .inf as I haven't found it necessary, but perhaps that would save some work in the long run. I have to create my custom gaming resolutions every time I update my drivers. 1900x1200x85 has always been there by default though.

edit: also, 102.7Hz @ 85Hz on your OSD is 1900x1200x85, so it sounds like you are good.

I don't think there is any scaling going on when I game at 1600x1000x110, as the monitor does not support 1900x1200x110.

Try plugging your monitor into the other video port. I have one of my computers hooked up to a Sony FW900, if I plug it into one video port it forces 80Hz in games. If I plug it into the other it does not.

 

[Sinizar]

Since you intend to run with 3d vision, I'd suggest you make your own INF, as mine won't be tailored to your needs.

Making your own INF is not hard.There's a guide somewhere in this thread. You'll need to download and install a couple of apps. Takes only a few minutes to do. More if you do more customizing to the inf. My tweaks were pretty basic.

Probably a while before I upgrade my video card for 3D. Just looking for something now. If it works I will eventually build my own for the 3D upgrade.

 

[mathesar]

You should use it at the recommended resolution, 1920x1200 at which it will be the most clear and readable without forcing the monitor over it's capacity.

I agree, 1920x1200 @ 85hz was the sweet spot on my FW900.

Function-wise; it works flawlessly. The picture takes about 20-25 minutes to achieve good black levels, and when the monitor is just turned on the raster is larger for some reason (like overscan), but slowly gets right within 20 minutes. I assume this is another side-effect of the warm-up period.

Mine had the exact same characteristics during warm-up, I remember the task bar was always slightly cut off on bottom until it warmed up.

What seems to be the flyback is kinda loud, I can hear its faint buzz even sitting 2 feet in front of the screen. I am not sure if this is necessarily a bad thing, as there are no noteable side-effects on the picture (no dreaded flyback popping) and no noticeable zooming during high-voltage tests either. So I guess even though it likes to make itself heard, it won't cause any trouble for a long time, hopefully.

faint buzz shouldn't be a big concern, Mine started having trouble turning on in the morning over time, I'd press power and the monitor would make a horrible sound from the rear sounded like a electricity was arcing rapidly somewhere, it did this for several months and the last couple months before it quit it would refuse to turn on sometimes (resulting in a flashing power light) it would eventually turn on after the 2nd or 3rd attempt, the picture quality was always great and wasn't affected by these symptoms but Im pretty sure it needs a new flyback to get it working again.

 

[Sinizar]

I just set it to 1920x1200 @ 85 hz, first time it was at 80hz but the screen rez changed but the monitor was still pumping 2304x1440 when I hit menu button, setting it to 85hz forced it to change resolution but when I hit menu it tells me 107.2kHz/ 85Hz but does not mention resolution.

Plug it into the other Video Port. For some reason nVidia's drivers started doing this. I did a bunch of troubleshooting, driver sweep, uninstall, etc. Turned out the easiest fix was to plug it into the other video port.

 

[Rock&Roll]

Probably a while before I upgrade my video card for 3D. Just looking for something now. If it works I will eventually build my own for the 3D upgrade.

Well, since it's just plain text, copy the following code into notepad and save as something.INF

; INF file generated by Monitor Asset Manager, 9/16/2010
; Copyright (c) EnTech Taiwan, 1995-2010.
; Internet: http://www.entechtaiwan.com

[Version]
Signature="$WINDOWS NT$"
Class=Monitor
ClassGUID={4d36e96e-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Provider=%MFG%
DriverVer=9/16/2010, 1.0.0.0
;CatalogFile=YourSignedCatalogFile.cat

[DestinationDirs]
DefaultDestDir=23

[SourceDisksNames]
1=%DISC%

[SourceDisksFiles]
;YourColorProfileFile.icm

[Manufacturer]
%VENDOR%=EDID_OVERRIDE,NTx86,NTamd64

[EDID_OVERRIDE.NTx86]
%PRODUCTID%=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install, MONITOR\HWP1C31

[EDID_OVERRIDE.NTamd64]
%PRODUCTID%=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTamd64, MONITOR\HWP1C31

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTx86]
DelReg=DEL_CURRENT_REG
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg, MODE1, DPMS
CopyFiles=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTamd64]
DelReg=DEL_CURRENT_REG
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg, MODE1, DPMS
CopyFiles=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTx86.HW]
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID_AddReg

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTamd64.HW]
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID_AddReg

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID_AddReg]
;Base EDID
HKR,EDID_OVERRIDE,"0",0x01,0x00,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0x00,0x22,0xF0,0x31,0x1C,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x1F,0x0B,0x01,0x03,0x0E,0x30,0x1F,0x96,0xE9,0x0C,0xC9,0xA0,0x57,0x47,0x9B,0x27,0x12,0x48,0x4C,0xFF,0xFF,0x80,0xE1,0x19,0xE1,0x4F,0xD1,0x19,0xD1,0xD9,0xA9,0x59,0xA9,0x19,0x81,0x99,0x81,0x4F,0xF2,0x95,0x00,0x70,0x93,0xA0,0x43,0x50,0xB0,0x00,0x13,0x10,0xDA,0x28,0x11,0x00,0x00,0x18,0x00,0x00,0x00,0xFD,0x00,0x30,0xA0,0x1E,0x79,0x28,0x00,0x0A,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x00,0x00,0x00,0xFC,0x00,0x41,0x37,0x32,0x31,0x37,0x41,0x0A,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x00,0x00,0x00,0xFF,0x00,0x4A,0x50,0x31,0x33,0x31,0x30,0x30,0x39,0x30,0x39,0x0A,0x20,0x20,0x00,0x90

[DEL_CURRENT_REG]
HKR,MODES
HKR,EDID_OVERRIDE
HKR,,MaxResolution
HKR,,DPMS
HKR,,ICMProfile

[DPMS]
HKR,,DPMS,,1

[MODE1]
HKR,,MaxResolution,,"1920,1200"

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg]
HKR,"MODES\1920,1200",Mode1,,"30.0-121.0,48.0-160.0,+,+"

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles]
;YourColorProfileFile.icm

[Strings]
MFG="Sony"
DISC="Monitor EDID Override Installation Disk"
PRODUCTID="Sony GDM-FW900 (EDID Override)"
VENDOR="Sony"

 

[quantum112]

faint buzz shouldn't be a big concern, Mine started having trouble turning on in the morning over time, I'd press power and the monitor would make a horrible sound from the rear sounded like a electricity was arcing rapidly somewhere, it did this for several months and the last couple months before it quit it would refuse to turn on sometimes (resulting in a flashing power light) it would eventually turn on after the 2nd or 3rd attempt, the picture quality was always great and wasn't affected by these symptoms but Im pretty sure it needs a new flyback to get it working again.

My condolences, honestly. I would certainly do whatever was in my power to get it working again, but I understand the flyback is a bit costly.

Have to say, I was looking for this monitor back in February but there were none in my country, even thought of importing one from Germany. I gave up back then and settled on the 21" EIZO, but often times over the months I'd take a look at this thread and see your pictures on the front page and thought "Oh if only..." Several weeks ago I was casually browsing the CRT monitor ads, not even looking for anything, then several pages down I see "Sony GDM-FW900, good condition" and thought "Holy...wow, this is probably sold by now" but went to call in case - it wasn't! A few words and needless to say the next day I was on the train to check it out. Now the thing is I was actually saving money for new speakers, but "this is it - you either buy it now or you will never have one" is what I said to myself, and to hell with it, I left him half the cash right there, and picked it up 2 days ago. And, I couldn't be happier. It's amazing, and I hope it stays that way for a long time.

 

[christpunchers]

Guys, I just have to say two things:

1) the FW900, other than its size and the inherent shortcomings of CRTs, got to be the best monitor on the face of this earth. Looking through the local stores and computer shops here and what they have on display, nothing even comes CLOSE to what a properly set up FW900 does in terms of colors and smoothness. Thus, this thread is a god sent for people who cares about having performance and quality before external "styling", and even then, the FW900 still looks like a damn cool unit.

2) Unkle Vito sold me my latest and hopefully last FW900 in Dec of 2008 and the thing is still alive and kicking, just like the day I received it. I cannot be more thankful that there is an expert devoted to not only CRTs but to Sony GDM CRTs and have inside knowledge of the FW900. I pray to god that if for whatever reason I need to acquire another FW900, they will by then, still be available and can be properly set up by guys like Vito. It would kill me if it could build the greatest gaming rig in a days time without hassle yet I cannot fully exploit its power because visually I cannot see perceive the best with my eyes, regardless of framerate or graphics.

 

[quantum112]

Guys, I just have to say two things:

1) the FW900, other than its size and the inherent shortcomings of CRTs, got to be the best monitor on the face of this earth. Looking through the local stores and computer shops here and what they have on display, nothing even comes CLOSE to what a properly set up FW900 does in terms of colors and smoothness. Thus, this thread is a god sent for people who cares about having performance and quality before external "styling", and even then, the FW900 still looks like a damn cool unit.

2) Unkle Vito sold me my latest and hopefully last FW900 in Dec of 2008 and the thing is still alive and kicking, just like the day I received it. I cannot be more thankful that there is an expert devoted to not only CRTs but to Sony GDM CRTs and have inside knowledge of the FW900. I pray to god that if for whatever reason I need to acquire another FW900, they will by then, still be available and can be properly set up by guys like Vito. It would kill me if it could build the greatest gaming rig in a days time without hassle yet I cannot fully exploit its power because visually I cannot see perceive the best with my eyes, regardless of framerate or graphics.

/Signing everything

 

[wolfpower]

Hello guys, i need your help. What kind of damage is this? Can i fix it?

 

[coolguy2k]

Jesus, this thread is still going? Heck, these monitors are still circulating amongst ppl? Amazing. I was following this a couple years ago when contemplating a new monitor. Stay thirsty my friends.